sparks to ignite the flame
by superimpossedmadness
Summary: The time for Rey to partake in the Initiate Trials approaches, and she can't help but worry. Anakin tried his best to reassure her. Or: Rey enlists Anakin's help by challenging him to a lightsaber duel.


It took Anakin a few good minutes before he noticed that Rey had been pretty silent for a while now, clearly lost in her own thoughts. He stopped rambling about this season's Malastare podraces, and instead he started spouting off silly little lies to see if Rey would catch on.

"—and the senator from Aurea would often dance to _Lapti Nek_ to welcome new recruits to his delegation," Anakin said, his words spoken with such gravitas that he would've been inclined to believe himself if he hadn't known any better.

With an absent nod, Rey agreed, "Yes, quite right."

A beat of silence.

Anakin bit back a smirk, waiting for Rey to recognise his ridiculous lie for what it was.

Predictably, Rey's head snapped up as she let out a scandalised squawk once she had time to really digest his words.

"Don't be so crass," Rey whispered hotly, looking around the hallway in case anyone overheard their conversation. Master Yoda sometimes had the most uncanny ability to drop in unexpectedly, usually perched on his hoverpod, to check up on the Temple's Initiates. Anakin swore up and down it was another secret Force ability of his, sometimes Rey was inclined to agree.

"You've got your head in the clouds," Anakin observed, skilfully derailing what would have been another lecture on propriety. He had a _lot _of practice with his own Master.

Instead of getting defensive, Rey seemed to sag under own weight. "You could tell?" It came out soft, a little unsure.

"I didn't think you were trying to hide it," Anakin threw back, slowing down his pace to allow Rey to catch up. He wasn't a patient person by nature, as pointed out to him by his grim-faced teachers, but he kept his silence as he allowed Rey to gather her thoughts.

She sighed, shaking her head. "No, I guess I wasn't. It's just. Well, the Initiate Trials are approaching, and I suppose I'm a little nervous." She lifted her head, flashing Anakin a self-deprecating smile.

"Oh," was Anakin's succinct reply. This was an aspect of Temple life that he had completely missed out on — Obi-Wan had been assigned the title of Anakin's Jedi Master by the Council and that was that. He had only been a spectator of the Apprentice Tournaments that came after the Trials but he had never been privy to the finer details behind the age-old tradition, he never really had a reason to learn anything beyond the rudimentary basics.

Rey had just turned twelve standard years, the normal age when an Initiate would begin their Trials. This would determine the trajectory of her future career as a Jedi, and the gravity of the situation was clearly getting to her despite her best efforts to cover it up behind her aloof Jedi mask.

"I've been meditating, reading up on the Code, _and_ practicing my saberwork but I still feel like it isn't enough," Rey groaned, frustration seeped in her voice. "In the end, it won't matter if no one's going to choose me to be their Padawan."

Anakin gently jostled her shoulder with his own. "Hey, don't sulk. That's my thing, remember?" He tried to lighten the mood by throwing in a jibe about himself.

Rey huffed out a little laugh, but her expression was still strained. Any other light-hearted banter on Anakin's part was met with stony silence, and after a while, his words slowed to a stop as well.

At length she sighed, "I'm sorry, Anakin. I know you're just trying to make me feel better but I just can't seem to think straight. Master Chuul would tell me to release my anxieties to the Force but the Trials are all I can think about."

"You'll be fine, Rey," Anakin assured her, his sincerity unmistakable. "You're one of the best Initiates from your clan. Any Knight or Master would be lucky to have you as their Padawan."

Rey's breath hitched, and she glanced at him with an unreadable emotion in her eyes. Soon, her pinched expression softened and she smiled, bright and unburdened. "Thank you," she said softly, hand darting out to clasp his briefly.

Anakin felt a jolt spread from his hand up to his arm, and he fought back an embarrassed flush. "No problem," he mumbled.

Rey flashed him another smile before slipping her hand from his. Anakin still felt the ghost of her warmth on his palm, and he curled his fingers inward to chase the feeling away.

Before they even realised it, they had approached the wing in the Temple that housed the classrooms.

After Anakin had turned twelve standard years, the Council had conducted another evaluation on his progress at his Master's behest, and he had finally been allowed to join classes with other Padawans his age. Now, Anakin and Rey might not share any classes together but they still made the effort to meet up before and after their respective classes.

"I guess this is where we part," Rey hummed, heading off to her classroom. She stopped just before she reached the door, glancing back at him. "Try not to get into too much trouble, Skywalker."

Anakin flashed her a smirk. "No promises."

Rey made a grand spectacle of rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner, showing him exactly what she thought about his cavalier attitude but Anakin didn't miss the fact that she was biting back an amused smile.

"I'll see you later, Rey."

A slight wave was all Anakin got to indicate that Rey had heard him at all.

* * *

"Anakin!"

Anakin's head perked up at the cry of his name. It sounded like Rey and true enough, she was making her way over to his table in the refectory.

When Rey stopped before him, she paused when she noted his half-eaten lunch. "Oh, you were eating, I'm so sorry," she apologised sheepishly as she sat down on a chair across from him, dumping her satchel carelessly on the floor beside her. "It's just that I have a favour to ask you, if that's alright."

Anakin took another bite of his meiloorun fruit before he nodded at her to continue.

Rey took a deep breath, shoulders tense. "I was wondering if you'd help me with my lightsaber technique?"

Anakin blinked at Rey, chewing his food as he mulled over the question. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, purposely ignoring the slight wrinkle of Rey's nose that his action elicited. "You want my help?"

Rey nodded eagerly before quickly catching herself. She bit her lip, "Don't let this get to your head, Anakin, but you _are_ considered the best duellist in our age group."

Anakin chuckled, looking thoroughly pleased by the admission. Rey didn't miss a thing, and she shook her head. It took Anakin by surprise when he felt the tip of her boot slam into his shin. "_Ow_!" He choked, looking affronted.

"Don't let it get to your head, remember?" Rey lifted her chin in challenge, a playful twinkle in her eyes.

Anakin shot her a nasty look as the pain seemed to pulse a steady beat. She kicked _hard_. "Now I'm thinking that maybe I shouldn't help if this is the kind of treatment I'll get."

Rey relented and she raised her hands placatingly. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Please O Great Chosen One, you are so clearly a cut above the rest of us, won't you help me?"

Anakin narrowed his eyes at her glib tone but chose not to comment on it. Rey had been tense these past couple of weeks, let her have her fun — even if it was at his expense. With a roll of his eyes, he finally agreed. "Alright, fine. I should be free this afternoon."

Rey brightened at that, her mocking smile melting into something more genuine. "_Thank you_," she breathed out in a rush, clearly using all her restraint not to leap up in joy. "I owe you, Ani."

Anakin jolted at the use of his childhood nickname. Rey hadn't called him that in a while, usually because of his own insistence that it was childish but he found that he didn't mind as much as he usually did.

Before he could say anything else, Rey was already pushing away from the table, gathering her satchel that she had tossed on the floor earlier in her haste as she stood up. "Listen, I have to go since Master Chuul instructed us to meet up in the Temple training grounds for afternoon meditation but I'll comm you later, okay?"

Anakin waved her off with a distracted, "Okay, sure," before promptly digging into his lunch once again. She flashed him one last grateful smile before scurrying off — Soavu Chuul, the Crèche Master, was such a stickler for punctuality, so it was understandable why she was in a hurry.

* * *

The training salle in the west wing was pretty empty by the time they finally made it there.

The afternoon sun spilled in through the windows, warding off the chill from the high altitude of the tower. It was a spacious enough room that Anakin and Rey could duel without any obstructions.

Rey had her training lightsaber at the ready in one hand, the blade ignited and humming in the gentle quiet of the room. She angled her body in the loose opening stance of Form II, staring at Anakin fiercely from her side of the floor. Anakin had toggled with the settings of his own lightsaber to set it to its lowest power — this was a friendly bout, the last thing he wanted was to harm her.

Anakin took a deep, fortifying breath, clearing his mind of distractions. With a flick of his wrist, his lightsaber hummed to life, the azure glow casting shadows on his face. He readied himself in his favoured form, Form V, his own expression hardened with determination.

"I won't go easy on you," he called out to her, a bit of mirth slipping into his voice.

Rey sniffed, eyes narrowed. "I'd be insulted if you did."

Wordlessly, they both raised their blades in a salute, the traditional sign of a commencing duel. Then they both waved their respective sabers in complicated flourishes, the blades humming as they did so.

With a nod, they both sprang forth, their blades whirring in streaks of light. The first real clash of their sabers left Rey a little breathless, the force behind Anakin's blow damn near rattling her arms. She grit her teeth, firming her stance so that he wouldn't overpower her. Their blades sparked and buzzed, two opposing shades of blue and yellow.

Rey let out a heave of breath as she pushed outward with her blade, putting all her weight into the movement. It served to momentarily dislodge Anakin's blade but he barely even stumbled before he was able to catch his footing once again. Oh, _kark_ him.

She twirled her saber, watching him shrewdly in anticipation of his next attack. She barely had time to strategise before Anakin was on her again, a maelstrom of deadly force. She let out a hissed curse in Huttese, something she had picked up from Anakin, barely ducking in time as his saber sailed above her head.

Roll. Parry. Slash.

Then their sabers were crossed once more, the blades sputtering angrily from the force of the impact. Rey's arms shook with the effort to keep their sabers locked but there was no way in the nine Corellians hells that she'd let Anakin know that.

With an embattled cry, she kicked him back. Anakin let out a strangled gasp, tumbling back before he used the momentum — and the aid of the Force — to backflip, putting considerable distance between them.

Rey blinked back the sweat that clung to her lashes, scowling as she took in measured breaths. She needed to get a hit in before he did.

She held the blade before her defensively, carefully balancing herself as she slid one foot in front of the other in the traditional Form II duelling stance. Anakin kept his saber in a lowered guard, pacing in place. They both waited for the other to move, losing themselves in the eddy of the Living Force as they concentrated on the here and now. Then, almost as one, they raced forward, meeting in the middle.

Anakin grit his teeth, gathering strength through the Force to push Rey's saber to the side with his own. She glared up at him, defiant to the last breath. She quickly spun to the left, her blade raised just in time to deflect Anakin's overhead attack.

Duck. Slash. Guard. Sparks as their lightsabers ricocheted off the other once again.

It went on in this fashion for some time, neither one willing to give the other any ground to disarm or disable them.

Anakin had to admit, despite only being taught the theoretical applications of the lightsaber forms, Rey was pretty good at holding on her own in the duel.

They were both panting at this point, but Anakin could see that Rey was trembling slightly from the exertion of the duel despite her best efforts to hide it, her exhausting getting to her. This is where Anakin had the advantage — he had fought with his lightsaber on missions, in actual life-or-death situations. He might not have the years of experience senior Padawans had, but Rey had never had to use her saber outside of classes, or the Temple for that matter.

"Do you yield?" Anakin got out through ragged breaths, his smirk challenging.

Rey snarled, teeth bared. The act of aggression actually caught Anakin off-guard — she was clearly lost in the haze of the fight.

She charged, saber in one hand. Anakin waited for her to approach, then as she drew closer, he held out an outstretched arm and drew the Force in with a slow, intake of breath. He then released the drawn-in energy in a powerful Force shove.

Rey's eyes bugged as she was swept off her feet. She landed on her back with a winded "_oomf_," her saber clattering to the floor. Before she had time to gather her wits, Anakin called her saber into his hand. Marching forward, he stopped to stand above her, crossing the two blades to rest them over either side of her neck.

"Got'cha," Anakin crowed, his Padawan braid dangling from his right ear as he stooped over her.

Rey groaned, head thumping back against the floor. "Alright, fine, you win. Now move."

Anakin snorted at her brusque tone, deactivating both lightsabers. He clipped his own saber to his belt, keeping Rey's training saber in one hand as he offered his free hand to help her up.

Rey grumbled half-hearted but accepted his help nonetheless. He tugged her to her feet, and she nodded at him in gratitude.

"I think you'll be just fine in the second Trial," Anakin declared unprompted, wordlessly tossing Rey's saber to her as he made his way to satchel. She deftly caught her saber, using the Force to aid its way into her hand. "I doubt the other Initiates participating in the Trials are as good as me, anyways."

Rey clucked her tongue, shaking her head mirthlessly. "Your humility truly is astonishing."

"You know it's true, you said so yourself." He flashed her a boyish smile, and against her better judgement, Rey's expression softened. He rifled through his satchel, letting out a noise of triumph when he pulled out a canteen of water.

"Yes, and I'm regretting it already." She watched enviously as he sipped his water, always careful not to let any drop spill — a habit he had picked up from growing up on Tatooine. Her own throat felt parched but she hadn't any time to fetch a canteen from the refectory before she had raced her way to the training salle.

Anakin must have felt the weight of her gaze. He lowered the canteen and then, much to her surprise, reached over to offer it to her. Anakin had always been particular about his water, something he had previously admitted was a luxury in his childhood, and was careful with it whenever he had any in his possession.

She lifted his canteen in cheers, muttering a quiet, "_thank you_," before she took several gulps of the cool water.

After she was done, Rey replaced the cover of the canteen on its rim, sealing it tight. She handed it back to Anakin, looking over at him carefully. "What did you really think?" She asked softly, hazel eyes firm.

"You lasted longer than I expected."

Rey's face crumpled as she let out a gusty sigh. "Anakin—"

"No, look," Anakin quickly interrupted, cutting her off before she could let his off-handed remark fester. "I've fought with my lightsaber, Rey. In actual battles during my missions with Master Obi-Wan, and that's something they can't really teach you in class, you know. What I meant was, you're good. You have room to grow, I'm sure, but I think you'll do great in the Apprentice Tournament."

Rey arched a brow, a fledgling smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You're so sure that I'll pass the Trials, hm?"

"Without a doubt."

Rey's subtle joy and gratitude was a pleasant hum in the Force. Anakin basked in it.


End file.
